This is not a knock at all on the Houston Zoo, which is amazing. Heartbroken as I am over the fact it no longer seems to have Slow Lorises, there's plenty else to enjoy there and more is being added all the time. Seriously, go to the zoo. You'll have a great time.
That said, there is more than one option for animal fun in and around the city, and some of them do a really fantastic job of shoring up the zoo's weak points. If you like options, here are ten other places that offer a chance to see animals in a variety of settings.
See also: Rest of the Best: Top 10 Things You Can Do in Houston for $5
10. Houston Museum of Natural Science: Why on Earth would you go to the museum for animals when the zoo is literally on the other side of the big hill in Hermann Park? Well, good question, and that's why the museum ranks so low on the list. However, it does boast the Cockerell Butterfly Center, which is a towering rainforest full of butterflies that always captivates attendees of any age. Wear bright colors and watch them land on you. In addition, you can visit with an adorably fat iguana named Charro.
Elsewhere in the center are impressive bug collections behind glass. You can also catch giant 3D I-MAX nature documentaries, but for sure head up to the malacology hall where they have live and extremely active horseshoe crabs hidden in the back.
9. Old MacDonald's Farm: For maximum petting zoo exposure it's Humble you'll be wanting and Old MacDonald's Farm up on FM 1960. There are 12barns where you can pet and feed the animals to your heart's content, though I highly recommend not feeding the deer as they are kind of pushy bastards. The goats and sheep are much more sociable. You can also spot more exotic animals like tortoises and emus, but it's the hands on interaction that is really the best.
The non-animal activities are first-rate as well, with a sand hill, train rides, a pool, a fort, and an Indian village for kids to wear themselves out in, and all of it is included in the $9 price tag (Bring cash).
8. Waugh Drive Bat Colony/Memorial Park: One of the places where our zoo drops the ball is in its bat cave. It's like a White Castle hamburger; all bread and very little meat. If you want bats, just head down to the Waugh Drive Bridge over Memorial around dusk and watch as many as 300,000 Mexican Free-tailed bats emerge and do their duty to the city by eating around 2 ½ tons of insects each night. Family Bat Nights are held every Thursday, Friday, Saturday evening through the Labor Day weekend, and volunteers will give brief presentations on the bats prior to emergence. Unlike Austin, our bat colony stays year-round, though they can be slow to emerge until well after dark in the colder months.
As long as you're in the area, the bike trails in Memorial Park will offer plenty of chances to spy squirrels, possums, woodpeckers, eastern grey and Mexican foxes, night herons, grey herons, nutria, jack rabbits, snapping turtles, Canadian geese, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, tri-colored herons and many more including many adorable baby ducks in the spring.
7. TGR Exotic Wildlife Park: In 1992 Troy and Gwen Scott purchased a pot-bellied pig, and then one thing led to another and they end up with a wildlife park. TGR Exotic boasts more than 100 hand raised animals that the couple supplies to zoo programs all over the United States, including Bengal tigers, gibbons, lemurs, and hyenas. There's also two-hour animal encounter session focusing on specific animals like anteaters, porcupines, camels, llamas, and echidnas, and kangaroos!
Be warned, though, tours and encounters are by schedule only, and you need to check the calendar before you drive all the way out to Spring to visit the park. With some preparation, TGR Exotics can be a great family afternoon.
6. Bayou Wildlife Zoo Though not as huge or impressive as the Houston Zoo, this facility down in Alvin does have something wonderful all to itself, a tram ride. For 45 minutes up to 30 people will ride through the park in style spying on zebras, ostriches, rhinos, deer, camels, and onyxes. There are also alligator ponds, monkey islands, giraffe feeding, and a petting zoo. It's a slightly archaic place, as they take only cash and checks and there's no food besides drink machines, but you can't beat a ride among the wild beasts for fun.
